Award-Winning Author of Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed; Growing Up with Undiagnosed Autism shares her book, life, and insight into the mind of children and adults on the autism spectrum.

1974: 1 in 5,000 Children had Autism

“In a world before autism advocacy…twenty years before Asperger’s Syndrome…we were in your midst. When they noticed me on tip-toes, they made me a ballerina…when the light bothered me, I was allergic to sunlight…When I only ate a few select items, I was picky…When I could not stray from my rigid routine, I was hard-headed…When I cried and screamed, I was spoiled—everything was my fault. No one recognized my autism; no one saw that I had Asperger’s Syndrome. How could they? Asperger’s Syndrome, Aspies—I—did not exist; not yet.”

A JOURNEY INTO THE MIND OF A CHILD

"School was an endless struggle of confusing instructions. They wanted me to know the answer, but didn’t want me to tell them what it was. They wanted me to raise my hand to be called on before answering, but then they didn’t call on me. Instead they asked someone else who clearly didn’t know the answer, and was not raising their hand.”

AN IMPOSSIBLE TRANSITION

“Adolescence crept up on me, and bound and gagged me when I wasn’t looking. Adulthood threatened to choke the life from my soul. My happy stimming behaviors were replaced with mind numbing alcohol. My intelligence was not being fed, and my self-worth began to rely on whose attention I attracted. I was on a downward spiral into the abyss of uncertainty. "

A LIFE TIME OF CONFUSION

“When I didn’t connect with my peers, I just didn’t care about them. When I misinterpreted situations, I was inconsiderate. When I asserted myself, I was inappropriate. When my children’s screaming hurt my head, I was a bad mother. When I could not keep them on a schedule, or keep the house in tip-top shape, I was lazy. When I could not stick to a budget, I was irresponsible. When I couldn’t understand, I was stupid. When I stayed in my pajamas for days, I was depressed. When I was overwhelmed by the world, I was agoraphobic. When I was tired and frightened, I had an anxiety disorder. When I realized something was wrong with me, I was making excuses.”

A DISCOVERY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

“The veil of darkness and misunderstanding has been pulled from our eyes. For the first time in my life, I was no longer alone; I was no longer scared; no longer confused. The knowledge of my autism has changed my perception. My differences define me. Now I know being me is not a bad thing. The journey, my journey, to find myself, to find out what was wrong with me had not come to an end, but to a beginning.”

Hi there. Glad you stopped by!

I’m an author who spends her time writing articles to help educate those who want to know what it is like to be autistic, and to encourage those who have loved ones on the spectrum. I share my life, struggles and triumphs, of both living with an autism spectrum disorder, and raising three ASD boys with the world. I hope that I can help you better understand autism from the inside.

Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed; Growing up with Undiagnosed Autism, a memoir of Jeannie's life, was the winner of the 2013 International Reader's Favorites Silver Award in the autobiography category. It spent most of the year on Kindle #1 Bestseller Lists, and is available in e-book, paperback, and audio. Click to read reviews or order from Amazon.

Jeannie is an autistic author, student, wife, and mother to four boys (three on the autism spectrum). Jeannie's entire life was transformed when she was finally properly diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism, but that was not until she was 38 years old!

We have recently decided to embark on a new adventure: getting Tommy (Tantrum Tot) an Autism Service Dog. The wait is long, and the dog training extensive and costly; however, we believe that Tommy will benefit tremendously from being paired with a service dog. Now it is just up to us to raise the funds needed to secure one for him. Click to support us, read more about Tommy, and/or share our journey with others. Thanks for all your support.

Learn more about these awesome dogs, the organizations that train them, and what they can do for an austistic child (or adult). Follow our journey from research, to application, and (hopefully) to the time we are able to procure one for the Tot.

If you want to know more about autism, I recommend that you read, read, and then read some more. Read blogs, books, resource pages, and whatever else you can get your hands on--especially those by autistic adults who can give you an unique inside perspective to life with autism, and raising autistic children. My list of Resources will be continually updated so be sure to visit often for the latest updates.

Take some time to look around and hang out...

When I am not writing about autism, and our lives, I am reading, working on my novel, taking college classes, and running through the mall after my children like a mad woman. Often you can find me avoiding work by talking too much on Facebook or Twitter. I'm always lurking around here somewhere talking about autism, the kids, or the darn computer that I want to throw out the window!

Hello everyone; I am republishing an article from one of my favorite e-zines Advanced Fiction Writing. (Author’s permission statement is published at the end of the post.) The subject of marketing in the world of new media is timely and appropriate, and hopefully of particular interest to my New Media …

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What is an Aspie writer? Simply—a writer with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), and in my case, someone who writes about AS. While I am working on my non-fiction book about my life with undiagnosed AS, I will be sharing my trials and triumphs, joys and frustrations, and everything in between. I …